leen Velthuis pws Editor ordon Campbell had a lot of opposition before he went Maui. Now even more people want the Premier of itish Columbia to resign from his post. Early on the morning of Friday, January 10, Campbell as arrested in Maui, Hawaii and charged with driving der the influence of alcohol. When given a breathalyz- test, he apparently blew 0.149 (double the legal limit 0.08, the same limit as Canada). When a reporter with The Maui News, Lila Fujimoto, da routine phone call to the local police station to find t who had been arrested. She was told that Gordon ampbell might be someone of significance. A quick ternet search revealed his identity, and before long the ssociated Press was on the story. On January 16, Campbell’s Liberal party caucus voted animously to support him in continuing on as emier. Before Campbell returned to BC on January 12, nance Minister Gary Collins had spoken on his behalf. e said that while the issue was bound to be politically hmaging, Campbell's arrest for drunk driving was “a ry human and very terrible mistake.” Campbell apologized publicly, and was later quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying that “Frankly, I’m moved that people are willing to give me that [second] chance.” Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have made public their belief that Campbell shouldn't get that second chance and that he should step down. “Premier Campbell should step aside and stay aside until all the consequences of his drinking-driving offence are dealt with,”said Andrew Murie, MADD’s national executive director in a January 14 press release. Art Steinmann of the Alcohol and Drug Education Service agrees that there's more to the issue than just apologizing. “When you get behind the wheel of a car when you're intoxicated, it is a public matter. And it has public impli- cations,” he said. Douglas College student John Williams agrees, and thinks that public figures should be more responsible. “He’s not setting a good precedent for the people of this province,” said Williams. “Let's face it,” he continued. “We are a joke in this province with our politicians: Vander Zalm, Glen Clark, the NDP and the Nanaimo Bingo scandal, now Gordon Campbell... we are a laughing stock. No wonder Trudeau hated the west! Anyway, If I’m not mistaken, drunk driv- ing is still a criminal offence in BC.” Gordon Campbell should be returning to Maui for his March 25 court appearance. If convicted, he could face a 90-day driving suspension, five days in jail, a fine that could range from $150 to $1,000, up to 240 hours of community service and participation in a 14-hour coun- selling program. Campbell has said he won't be contesting the charge. Recall-BC, a non-partisan organization run by volun- teers from around the province, is devoted to the recall of BC’s Liberal government. They have been preparing recall efforts since April 2002 and will go ahead with those efforts this year. eeping Big Business at Bay ritics worry that corporate encroachment will harm education and research, but McGill says it won't fall victim to private interests when hiring new professors avid Parry e McGill Daily ONTREAL (CUP)—As = McGill niversity proceeds full steam ahead with s plan to hire hundreds of new professors ross all faculties, administrators and lob- ists alike are considering the possible erits and pitfalls of corporate sponsor- ip. he problem, according to David pbinson, director of Public Policy and ommunications for the Canadian ssociation of University Teachers, is that duced government funding for educa- bn has increased pressure on universities look to the private sector for money. “A lot of universities have pursued cor- brate sources of income, thanks to dwin- ing public funding,” said Robinson, ho worries that corporate funding plies corporate control over education hd research. Hudson Meadwell, the associate dean of ademics for the Faculty of Arts, said at his faculty considers corporate- dowed chairs, but denies pandering to a rporate agenda. “These opportunities cross our desk, nd] in principle, the faculty would be interested in pursuing these corporate partnerships... The key criteria is to make sure that academic decisions remain in the hands of the academics,” he said. But Robinson claims that corporate funding inherently exerts control over the direction of university research. “Corporate funding can steer a universi- ty,” said Robinson. “They don’t endow a chair for child poverty; [it’s] generally business research, since that’s where they're going to get the bang for their buck.” Professor Christopher Manfredi, the chair of Political Science at McGill, emphasized the importance of private funding, so long as such funding is condi- tion-free. “The university has to be creative in funding; private involvement is an impor- tant source, as long as its clear that the funding is no strings attached,” Manfredi said. But Robinson claims that universities are selective in emphasizing areas in which they can get funding. “Universities see that you don't get money from expanding language pro- grams,” he said, claiming there has been an increased focus on research in academ- ic activities that often draw corporate funding. This also affects the hiring of new facul- ty, according to Robinson. In particular, he is concerned about what the university is looking for in new faculty. Meadwell says that the administration looks for well-rounded professors, not those with business connections. “We don't look at corporate back- ground... We look at people who have strong research and teaching skills,” he said. “We tend to build those [corporate and international] relationships from within and not at the point of hiring,” he added. Manfredi also sees a role for hiring pro- fessors with private connections, but is quick to point out that this is not a deter- mining factor in the hiring process. “The fact that someone can bring in extra funding is indicative of quality ... It’s certainly a plus, but neither necessary nor sufficient on its own,” said Manfredi. Robinson echoes the need to find bal- anced faculty, but adds that it is important for new professors to be involved in the community at large. “What has been lost is the notion of community service; we need those profes- sors who are going to engage in the com- munity,” he said. The Academic Renewal Program, a uni- versity-wide program to hire 100 new fac- ulty members a year for ten years, was established three years ago, and earlier this year the Faculty of Arts additionally announced plans to hire 50 new profes- sors. Accompanying the hiring spree are grave space issues, according to Meadwell. He says that new space is desperately needed if the Faculty of Arts is to fulfil its aim of hiring 50 new professors. “We're bursting at the seams... We need office space while still maintaining room for undergraduate and MA teaching,” he said. page 3 ©